Cotton cleaner



May 19, 1925. s. E. HOPKINS COTTON CLEAKER 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 6, 1921 INVENTIOR. Samuel fj/ /oplims,

BY J

ORNEY May 19; 1925. 1,538,244

. s. E. HOPKINS COTTON CLEANER Original Filed Sept. 6. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Samuel E flop/V2725.

' AT ORNEY.

Patented May 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES SAMUEL E. HOPKINS, OF COBSICANA, TEXAS.

common CLEANER.

Application filed September 6,1921, Serial No. 498,893. Renewed March 12, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. Hormivs, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Corsicana, in the county of Navarro and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton Gleancrs, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to improvements in cotton cleaning machines and aims to provide a new arrangement of parts in sucha machine, one of the principal features thereof being the provision of automatic means in the cleaner for preventing the cotton from becoming wadded, jammed or otherwise caught or impeded in its progress therethrough.

Another principal object of the invention is the provision of a cotton cleaner wherein is embodied an arrangement for drawing cotton which it is not desired .to clean through the machine without passing same. through the cleaning apparatus.

These and other advantages will become more apparent and the invention be more fully understood by reference to the follow- "ing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof in which-'- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a cotton cleaner embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top or plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a valve arrangement for controlling the air suction, and

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of one of the valves.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, 1 denotes a housing wherein is affixed a plurality of drums 22 studded with spikes 2, the drums mounted upon shafts 3-3 which are supported in bearings 44 upon a sill 5.

Upon each shaft 3 is mounted a pulley 6.

The end of one of the shafts 3 has an additional pulley 7 for connection by means of a belt 8 to a source of power for driving the machine. I

The pulleys 6-6 are connected to ether by belts in the following mannerneac pair of pulleys are connected by a belt 9 so that they will rotate in pairs. Two of the pairs are connected by a belt 10 and a main belt 11 is placedaround the entire pulley series.

This gives the drums. a more even and uniform movement than could otherwise be obtained.

, On theopposite end of the outermost shaft 3 is a pulley 13 which is connected by a belt 14 to a pulley 15 on a shaft 16. The shaft 16 carries a drum 17 studded with teeth or spikes 18. sprocket gear 19 and drives a shaft 20 by chain 21 and sprocket gear 22. Upon the shaft 20 is a core 23 which carries an arrangement of panels 24 with rubber tips or The shaft 16 has also a' strips 24 as shown in the drawing. The

.and belts, in conjunction with the screened drum, etc., passes the cotton through the machine, the cotton being drawn inward by airsuction through air conduit 35 so as to pull through the screened drum 34 into chamber 36 and out to the fan through the conduit 37.

When it is desired to pass cotton into themachine without cleaning, as in the case of storage, there is provided a pair of gate valves 38 and 39 operated by handles 40 and 41 by means of which the conduit 35 may be closed, also the exit from the lower rollers or drums, the cotton being pulled against the screen 36* of the chamber 36 and falling upon the conveyor 42. Beneath the plurality of drums 22 is a screen 43 through which dirt, etc., may fall and be carried off by the conveyor 44.

In order that the cotton may be prevented from clogging the machine, which frequently occurs on account of uneven feeding, etc., there is provided an inclined pivoted cotton conduit 45. This conduit, as willlbe noted in the drawing, Figure 1, is hingedly connected as at 46 to the interior housing and has upon its upper end a pivot means 47 for a pair of jointed swinging bars 48, one pair on each side of the machine, the pairs being also pivoted to swing .u-pon a rod 49. The ends of these bars are the inclined conduit 45,

connected'to neighboring bars which are securedto angle bars 51, each carrying a ball 60, at each end. The rods 48 and 50 are perforated for adjustment.

In Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the housing which is built upward into a rectangular projection 52 and provides a valve means for cutting off and on the air suction, the tilting of the inclined conduit 45 in connection with the balls and bars operating to close the openings 53. It will be noted by reference to Figure 2 that the housing projection 52 extends across the top of the housing. Each opening 53 is provided with a closure panel or shutter 54 secured to the arms 55 and turn upon a rod 56 traversing the projecting housing from end to end. Stop strips 57 and rubber tips 58 provide a tight fit for the openings 53.

In the operation of the cleaner, the air suction through the chamber 36 and thence through the screened drum 34 draws the cotton to be cleaned inward through the conduit 35 upon the drum 34, the revolving drum throwing the cotton upon the spiked roller 17 and it is then fed upon and to the panels 24 and passes into the inclined conduit 45, thence upon the rollers 30-30 which tend to evenly distribute the cotton through the exit end of the conduit upon the end drums 2 and is caught in turn by the spikes on the rollers and passed outward onto the conveyor 42. The cotton in its passage through the machine especially over and around the drums 2-2 is thoroughly cleaned, the fine particles of dirt, etc., falling through the screen 43 upon the conveyor 44.

Should the cotton be fed too rapidly into or for any other reason, in such a manner as to choke or clog the passage, the weight of the accumulated cotton will cause the upper portion of the conduit to tilt inward and rest upon and against the stop 59, which will cause the bars 48 and 50 to move the balls 60 and overbalance them and they will rise, as in Figure 4, and open the panels or shutters 54. The air suction will then come from the outside atmosphere through the openings 53, hence the air suction will be cut off from pulling throu h the chamber 36, screen 34 and conduit 3F, and no cotton will be drawn in. As soon, however, as the choked condition of the cotton in conduit 45 is relieved as the cotton is fed outward, the conduit will assume its normal position, as in Figure 1, allowing the balls to also assume a normal position, whereupon the panels or shutters 54 will close the openings 53 and air will again be drawn through the screened drum and chamber 36, the gate valves 38 and 39 being then in the position shown by full lines, Figure 1.

When it is desired to pass cotton through the machine, which does not need cleaning, the gate valves 38 and 39 will be in the position shown in dotted lines, Figure 1, hence the air will be drawn through the conduit 35 thence through screen 36 and out through conduit 37, the cotton bein thrown or drawn against the screen 36 and passing out onto the conveyor 42.

What is claimed is 1. A. machine of the character described,

comprising the combination of a housing,

an upper and lower arrangement of rotating members, a screened chamber between the upper and lower rotating members for air suction, and a conduit between the rotating members, said conduit having an arrangement of bars and weights operatively connected to valve shutters upon the upper part of the housing and arranged in such a manner that when the cotton in the conduit becomes impeded the conduit will move and cut off and on the air suction.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a housing, air suction means, upper and lower rotating members, a conduit and an air chamber between the upper and lower rotating members; an automatic shutter valve arrangement connected to.the conduit and a plurality of shutter valves operatively connected therewith to cut oif and on air suction when the cotton in the conduit is impeded in its passage and when the cotton is freed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

SAMUEL E. HOPKINS. 

